Netflix’s latest miniseries, following the life of drug lord Griselda Blanco, has taken the world by storm, reaching number one on the streaming service just a few days after its release.
Griselda tells the story of the infamous drug boss known as “The Godmother of Cocaine”, played by Modern Family actor Sofia Vergara.
The show explores the drug trafficker’s life and how she spent her years in the criminal world during the 1970s and 1980s in Miami. The six-part series is filled with violence and betrayal as Blanco makes her way to the top of the American drug-trading business.
Where are Blanco’s children now?
(ELIZABETH MORRIS/NETFLIX)
As well as Blanco’s rise as a female drug dealer, the series, which is heavy on the smoking scenes, also focuses on the relationship with her four sons, Dixon Trujillo-Blanco, Uber Trujillo-Blanco, Osvaldo Trujillo-Blanco, and Michael Corleone Blanco.
*Some spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned!*
Griselda with her sons Michael, Osvaldo, Uber and Dixon
( DEA)
In the show, Blanco begins drug trafficking to provide a better life for her family, but things eventually start to turn sour. Blanco was caught and sent to prison, while her children were targeted by their enemies.
In the series finale, Blanco finds out that her three eldest sons had been killed while she was in prison.
“Dixon was shot while he was walking to his car,” agent June Hawkins says in the show. “Ozzy was in a crowded nightclub. Uber was shot in Colombia as he was making a drug deal.”
Michael, who is Blanco’s youngest son, is still alive and was a cast member on VH1’s reality TV show Cartel Crew, which follows the lives of people whose families have had previous connections with Cartels in Miami, Florida. The show has run for three seasons since 2019.
Micheal Blanco and his wife Marie
(VHI Cartel Crew )
His wedding was also featured in a 2021 episode, and he now has children of his own.
Ahead of the show’s debut, the 45-year-old appeared on hip hop artist Bern’s podcast and spoke about leaving a life of crime behind, not living in fear, and launching businesses like Pure Blanco, a streetwear company billed as a “Billionaire Cartel Lifestyle Brand”.
Michael and his wife Marie are now suing Vergara along with Netflix and others involved in the making of Griselda, claiming that the show use the unauthorised “image, likeness and/or identity” of family members. The pair are seeking damages “in excess of $50,000”, according to TODAY.com.
Griselda, played by actor Sofia Vergara
(Netflix)
The lawsuit also alleges that the series relied on recorded conversations the show’s producers had with Michael, who was not compensated for their use.
Benjamin Mordes, an attorney representing Michael, recently spoke to NBC News about the lawsuit and said: “Netflix, as we’ve alleged, is using these ideas that were part of interviews that were memorialized, and writings and notes. Nobody else could have those ideas and nobody else could have those stories.”
The Independent has contacted Vergara’s representatives and Netflix for comment.